You already know that TSRA serves as a paddling club for Middle Tennessee paddlers...and you probably know that TSRA has supported clean water and environmental initiatives over the years, and helped with paddler education and building new canoe and kayak accesses...but are you aware of the contributions TSRA members have made toward conservation-focused land purchases?

It turns out, over the past 20 years TSRA — on behalf of Tennessee paddlers — has donated more than $53,000 to strategic land purchases by TennGreen Land Conservancy (formerly the Tennessee Parks and Greenways Foundation), which have then been turned over to public lands agencies like Tennessee State Parks and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency.

Specifically, TSRA has helped TennGreen Land Conservancy purchase land at:

- Scott’s Gulf in White County on the Caney Fork River (Bridgestone/Firestone Centennial Wilderness)

- Stillhouse Hollow Falls in Summertown (Stillhouse Hollow Falls State Natural Area

- Devilstep Hollow at the headwaters of the Sequatchie River (Cumberland Trail State Park)

- Virgin Falls near Sparta (Virgin Falls State Natural Area)

- Cummins Falls on the Blackburn Fork River in Jackson County (Cummins Falls State Park)

- Happy Hollow on the Caney Fork River

- Rock Island at the Caney Fork River (Rock Island State Park)

- the Lone Star tract connecting the Cumberland Trail, with river frontage on Daddys Creek and protecting the headwaters of Ozone Falls (Cumberland Trail State Scenic Trail)

In addition to the funding TSRA has contributed to TennGreen, over the last 2 decades TSRA has donated more than $30,000 to the Swan Conservation Trust to be put toward the acquisition of the land that includes the headwaters of Big Swan Creek.

And TSRA and other paddling clubs are currently working with Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning on the Cumberland Plateau to support additional land acquisitions near the Obed Wild & Scenic River.

So, when you wonder what your TSRA membership dues or class fees for paddler training are going toward, rest assured that the leaders at TSRA are keeping an eye open for situations where we can add our funds to a larger effort and have a conservation impact that is greater than the sum of its parts!

We could use your help in the ongoing work to preserve our free flowing streams.

Renew your membership today. It’s only $25/year for your entire household or $10 for a student membership: 

https://paddletsra.org/join-us

Or make a donation of any amount: 

https://paddletsra.org/Donate